Has anyone build raised border using (new) oak sleepers

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tuffer said:

Thanks Tuffer

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tuffer said:

Looked great for about two years and then started to rot

Ah, god to know. Assumed that Oak would last the course.

Although I did see some construction diagrams some where where they were recommending using internal membranes - that must be why.

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dickymint said:

Did these about 5 years ago using new Green Oak...........



Timberlock Screws are your friend........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POEUHxT9hdE

Looks great. Stil there?

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33q said:

6 years ago I had my garden landscaped using new sleepers. After 2 years there was evidence of rot and I have just had the whole lot ripped out. The amount if rot was unbelievable.

What a waste of £12k!

Just had the whole garden redone in natural stone.

I think the motto is buy cheap, buy twice.

Ouch...

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Chrisgr31 said:

I put some in around 10 years ago, treated them well before they went in, they have weed membrane then pea shingle between them and the earth. The parts I can see now need re-treating, no idea what the back is like! If I was putting them in now I would be terating the unseen parts with bitumen paint as all the approved treatments are useless!

Depending on where they are going and how high I would be tempted to use gravel boards or scaffold boards and just replace in 5 years or so.

Thanks.

Some very useful tips in here.

[5potTurbo]

I used OLD sleepers, to build a wall with sleepers set horizontally, side edge up/down, with thick memberane behind as it was backfilled with soil. They were still as solid as ever after 8 years before we sold the house.
I can see the wall's still there whenever I pass it, some +3 years on....

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5potTurbo said:

I used OLD sleepers, to build a wall with sleepers set horizontally, side edge up/down, with thick memberane behind as it was backfilled with soil. They were still as solid as ever after 8 years before we sold the house.
I can see the wall's still there whenever I pass it, some +3 years on....

Thanks 5pot.

Did they seep creosote in hot weather?

[crankedup]

Plenty of beautiful oak framed houses sill standing after 400/500 years, although sill beams replaced. There must be oak and then proper oak!!

[5potTurbo]

AC43 said:

Thanks 5pot.

Did they seep creosote in hot weather?

They didn't seep, althouh if they were in full sun mid-Summer, when the exposed-to-sun-temps hit >50C, you could smell it - if you were standing a foot away - but the wall was more like 10ft from the patio.

[tuffer]

crankedup said:

Plenty of beautiful oak framed houses sill standing after 400/500 years, although sill beams replaced. There must be oak and then proper oak!!

But the Oak is protected and not sitting in water/mud.

[8-P]

How do you attach them to the ground? Drill holes and whack some sort of long metal peg through or something? Im considering doing a run of this though maybe I should just build a breeze block wall as it out of sight

[Piersman2]

I was round a friend's house last weekend, he had some retaining walls built about 2-3 years ago with new sleepers.

Already there are signs of some quite heavy rotting on the inside of the walls where the earth has settled a bit, despite them being 'protected' with a plastic lining etc...

Looked like they would be good for another few years yet but I was surprised how much rot had already set in.

[barryrs]

I will be using this as a timber retaining structure on a new development as it comes with a 30 year service life warranty - http://www.mmtimber.co.uk/unilogpro

Not as attractive as sleepers but being an agricultural location it will fit its surroundings.

[crankedup]

tuffer said:

crankedup said:

Plenty of beautiful oak framed houses sill standing after 400/500 years, although sill beams replaced. There must be oak and then proper oak!!

But the Oak is protected and not sitting in water/mud.

Yup that's why the oak sill beams rotted away, sitting on the ground. Later the sill beams were set upon a brick foundation
The only protection the oak timbering had so far as the external frame is concerned is lime wash. Very popular again is oak frame with new companies springing up over the previous third or so years.Again it's unprotected oak because the natural tannins in the wood are protection enough.
Old oak can survive in mud and water, (think Mary Rose) it's the continual wet to dry repeat processes which cause the damage. So you are correct to wonder about the life of oak in the use you wish.
Sorry to ramble but I have always 'loved' oak and other timbers.

[crankedup]

8-P said:

How do you attach them to the ground? Drill holes and whack some sort of long metal peg through or something? Im considering doing a run of this though maybe I should just build a breeze block wall as it out of sight

This is what I have done when using sleepers as an edging between my Tarmac drive and the decorative area.

[J4CKO]

I got quoted two grand to do our front by a local landscaping company, to lay gravel and put some wood round the side, was going to be some thing crap that would last about a week, did the lot for £500 myself (including buy a cheap chainsaw to cut the sleepers after struggling with a hand saw) and it still looks good, used proper old railway sleepers, the ones with Creosote in, in full sun, when close to them you may get the odd waft and when they are freshly done but its not a problem, still look perfect ten years on, however I did have to cut one to widen the driveway and noted a little bit of rot but its was still 90 percent not rotten.

Perhaps use a mixture with the bottom one being a treated one ?

[j4ckos mate]

Stand the ends in whatever it is your going to treat them with

[C0ffin D0dger]

Did something along those lines at the end of our garden but with pressure treated softwood sleepers. Couple of things to note:

1. I used these to anchor the bottom run onto the ground http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p75498?searchstr=s... Superb things, fix to sleeper with coach screws, position sleeper, dig square hole where spike is, drop sleeper into place and level, dump a bag of postcrete + water around spike. I even used them to join the sleepers so screwed one sleeper into the first two holes and the butted the next on up to it and the screwed that one on.

2. Once the bottom run was secured fitted the next ones to it with the massive screws http://www.uk-timber.co.uk/timber-titan-landscapin... I did 250mm sleepers stacked on the long end so needed a 300mm fixing. Beware though it says they will self drive, some did with an impact driver but after a couple got stuck I gave up and bought a long drill to do a pilot hole first. This was in softwood, in oak you've probably got even less chance without a pilot.

3. Before back filling I fitted a plastic membrane to the back of the sleepers, just used builders DPC type plastic secured with a staple gun.

4. Finally to improve drainage along the bottom of the sleepers I loosened the soil then chucked in a load of hardcore i.e. broken bits of brick, concrete etc. The covered with topsoil.

Two years on and it still looks as good as the day I put it in bar some natural weathering to the timber.

[Craikeybaby]

After a recommendation from a PHer I used Woodblocx to build a raised bed. It is treated softwood and meant to last well. 2 years in and ours is still looking good anyway.

The initial cost is higher than sleepers, but it comes with all the fixings and if I managed to get it built with my wife I'm sure anyone can do it!


Raised bed complete by Lewis Craik, on Flickr

[geeks]

We have a wall of reclaimed sleepers, I can't say I have ever really noticed a smell from them nor any seepage. They look the part too being all "rustic" we get nice comments from visitors about it too!